1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing attached E-mail data and storage medium for processing a program for attached data.
2. Description of Related Art
As a configuration of utilizing the Internet, providing a global-scale communication network environment capable of exchanging the information between mutually spaced-apart computers, an electronic mail (E-mail) is in widespread use.
In the Internet E-mail system, mail servers are provided in a distributed fashion in each domain. The client user sends or receives an E-mail to or from a mail server of the domain to which he or she belongs.
That is, a sender states the contents he or she desires to send and accords a required address and name by a client tool for an E-mail termed a mailer (software for sending/receiving the mail) or a browser (perusal/retrieval software) for sending the required address and mail to the receiver.
The mail server of a domain to which the sender belongs sends the mail for transmission to a representative mail server of an organization. The representative mail server accords an address of the server/node to be arrived at to send the address to the network, which then refers to the address to sequentially transfer the mail to the mail server to which belongs the counterpart of the communication (receiver).
The receiver recognizes the arrival of the E-mail in his or her post by various means such as display of a notice of arrival upon starting the mailer so that he or she can read the sent mail.
For delivery of the E-mail, the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), which is the upper-order protocol of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), is used as the communication protocol. Usually, the format is automatically formulated by the mailer. To the leading end of the main text of the mail is appended a header made up of rows stating a date [Date:], name of mail sender [From:], an address [To:], a title [Subject:] or a carbon copy (blind carbon copy) [Bcc:], in accordance with SMTP.
Although the E-mail system of the Internet is based on the text (letter information: character codes), an extension format, configured for enabling handling of languages other than English or multimedia such as pictures or speech, is also defined as multi-purpose Internet mail extension (MIME). That is, the still-picture information, moving picture information or the speech information is compressed and converted to character codes which are assembled in the MIME system into the text and sent in this form. The receiver side automatically interprets the MIME system to check the form in which the information is assembled into the text to start a viewer/player tool for displaying/reproducing the information.
Although the above-described E-mail system is highly convenient if one is accustomed to it, the system is unfriendly to a user sending or receiving the E-mail for the first time using a personal computer, because the system is very different from the usual letter delivery system customarily used in everyday life. That is, the E-mail system can be utilized only after the user has learned and fully understood the operating method for the mailer as the E-mail exchanging software with the aid of a manual.
Recently, a set-top box, termed an Internet terminal, having assembled therein the Internet accessing function, is on the market, such that a user not in possession of a personal computer can easily utilize the Internet services by connecting the Internet terminal to the television receiver in his or her home. However, the mailer operating method cannot be intuitively understood even by this Internet terminal user.
In order for the user having no experience in using the personal computer to be able to comprehend the mailer operating method intuitively, there has been proposed a method for sending and receiving the E-mail by using a real-world oriented GUI and using an agent on his or her behalf, such as a pet like a rabbit or a tortoise. This displays the process of receiving and delivering the E-mail or the process of E-mail delivery from another user to permit intuitive comprehension of the act of mail delivery between users.
With the above-mentioned E-mail system, the agent parameters controlling the behavior of each pet is varied each time the user causes his or her own pet to send the E-mail such that the pet is improved in ability or lowered in physical power.
However, if a mailer for sending and receiving this special type of the E-mail is not previously installed in each personal computer on the sending side and the receiving side, E-mail sending/reception by the pet cannot be tested, such that the change or growth of the pet cannot be appreciated.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for processing attached E-mail data and storage medium for processing a program for attached data in which, in exchanging E-mails using a virtual pet displayed on the real-world oriented GUI picture as an agent, the parameters controlling the behavior of the agent are processed on the server side and returned to the user to enable the agent behavior to be changed on the user side.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for processing appended data to an E-mail including extracting, on reception of an E-mail comprised of a mail header and a plurality of appended agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent which is a virtual pet delivering an E-mail, the mail header and the plural agent parameters of the E-mail, specifying one or more of the extracted agent parameters specified by the extracted mail header and processing the specified agent parameter to return the parameter to a sender of the E-mail.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for processing appended data to an E-mail including means for extracting, on reception of an E-mail comprised of a mail header and a plurality of appended agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent which is a virtual pet delivering an E-mail, the mail header and the plural agent parameters of the E-mail, control means for managing control for specifying one or more of the extracted agent parameters specified by the extracted mail header and transfer means for processing the specified agent parameter to return the parameter to a sender of the E-mail.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a medium for storage of a program processing appended data to an E-mail including extracting, on reception of an E-mail comprised of a mail header and a plurality of appended agent parameters controlling the behavior of an agent which is a virtual pet delivering an E-mail, the mail header and the plural agent parameters of the E-mail, specifying one or more of the extracted agent parameters specified by the extracted mail header and processing the specified agent parameter to return the parameter to a sender of the E-mail.
With the method and apparatus for processing attached E-mail data, if an E-mail including a mail header and appended plural agent parameters controlling the behavior of the agent as a virtual pet delivering the E-mail is received, the server extracts the mail header appended to the mail and plural agent parameters and processes the specified one or more agent parameters specified on the basis of the mail header to return the processed agent parameter(s) to the sender. Thus, the behavior of the agent on the side of the mail sender, that is, the user can be modified. That is, the behavior of the agent which is the virtual pet sending the E-mail can be controlled on the side of the server to render it possible to vary the agent behavior by the mail exchange of the server.
With the medium for storage of a program for processing appended data to the E-mail according to the present invention, the function of processing the behavior of the agent as a virtual pet for sending an E-mail, and returning the processed parameters to the user, in exchanging the E-mail for the server using the virtual pet displayed in the real world oriented GUI picture as an agent, is installed on the appended data processing apparatus for displaying this function.